NEWS SUMMARY INTELLIGENCE REPORT WEDNESDAY 2/12/2020  TURKEY INTERVENES IN SYRIA DEMANDING GOVERNMENT WITHDRAWAL FROM NORTHWEST

THE TURKISH PRESIDENT RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN  SAYS TODAY THAT HIS COUNTRY IS 'READY TO USE ANY NECESSARY FORCE' TO FORCE OUT SYRIAN GOVERNMENT FORCES IN GREATER IDLIB AREA.

ERDOGAN SPOKE OF AN END OF THE MONTH DEADLINE FOR THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE SYRIAN FORCES ENGAGED IN COMBAT WITH AL QAEDA AND OTHER JIHADISTS ELEMENTS FIGHTING THE BASHAR AL ASSAD GOVERNMENT......TASS NEWS REPORT

THE TURKISH LEADER'S ANNOUNCEMENT FOLLOWS TALKS WITH A RUSSIAN DELEGATION THAT VISITED TURKEY.   RUSSIA SUPPORTING SYRIA'S GOVERNMENT AND A FAILED 'CEASE-FIRE' ZONE WITH TURKEY IN SYRIA'S NORTHWEST.    RUSSIAN NEWS AGENCY TASS REPORTING THAT PRESIDENT ERDOGAN HAS SPOKEN DIRECTLY WITH RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN.    THE TALKS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES WILL CONTINUE.

IN RECENT WEEKS MR. ERDOGAN HAS SPOKEN WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP ABOUT THE SITUATION WITH BOTH LEADERS AGREEING TO THE NEED FOR AN 'END TO VIOLENCE' IN NORTHWESTERN SYRIA ACCORDING TO THE WHITE HOUSE.     IN A DECEMBER 26TH TWEET PRESIDENT TRUMP ALLEGED THAT IRAN, RUSSIA AND SYRIA WERE PLANNING A 'MASSACRE' IN NORTHWESTERN SYRIA.

TODAY... LINK....THE SPOKESWOMAN OF THE RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY REJECTED TURKEY'S ACCUSATION THAT RUSSIA AND SYRIA  ARE ATTACKING CIVILIANS IN IDLIB.   SHE ALSO SAID THAT ISRAELI AIR STRIKES IN SYRIA ARE DESTABLILIZING....LINK

FIGHTING REPORTED IN SOUTHWESTERN ALEPPO PROVINCE TODAY WITH A TURKISH SUPPORTED ATTACK BY JIHADISTS SAID TO HAVE BEEN REPELLED BY SYRIAN GOVERNMENT FORCES.

MEANWHILE THE SYRIAN GOVERNMENT'S SYRIAN ARAB NEWS AGENCY SAYS THAT A US AIR ATTACK WAS LAUNCHED AGAINST A KURDISH VILLAGE IN THE EASTERN PART OF SYRIA TODAY FOLLOWING AN INCIDENT WHEN A 14 YEAR OLD WAS SHOT BY US FORCES......SANA SYRIAN NEWS REPORT......SOUTHFRONT STORY-COMMENTARY.....IN ADDITION SOUTHFRONT HAS POSTED A STORY WITH EMBEDDED VIDEO SHOWING KURDS FIGHTING WITH US FORCES SOME THROWING ROCKS OTHERS FIRING WEAPONS....LINK

A third employee of the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons has stepped forward to assert that reporting on the alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma in April 2018 was doctored with and manipulated in secret.   This former senior official backing up the allegations of two former lower level officials that the report was altered to make it look like the Syrian government had perpetrated a chemical weapons attack.

France, the UK and the US launched missile strikes in the aftermath of the attack with President Trump describing the Syrian ruler Bashar Al Assad as "Animal Assad" in a tweet.

Journalist Peter Hitchens of the "Mail on Sunday" is following this story and responding to pro-chemical attack advocates at his Twitter page......PETER HITCHENS TWITTER and he has made some detailed posts inside his blog....PETER HITCHENS BLOG

Word came out Tuesday that President Trump has conditionally agreed to a peace deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan.    US-Taliban peace talks will now again resume.    The President wants to see a reduction in violence from the Taliban.

If a peace deal is signed the US will begin to pull down troop presence in the country with the Afghan government and the Taliban holding talks on the future of Afghanistan.

"...a nine year sentence for doing nothing..."

Some of what President Trump had to say at the White House today regarding his supporter and longtime Republican political operative Roger Stone.

The Justice Department decided to seek a lighter sentence for Stone for his conviction in connection with the "Russia collusion" probe of Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller.

The move causing outrage among Democrats.

Two Democrats out of the race for President today.   Both Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado and former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick dropping out following poor showings in the the New Hampshire Primary.

A-O-C TO FACE DEMOCRAT PRIMARY CHALLENGER

In another sign of a "moderate" crackdown on left-leaning Democrats a former business news anchor will challenge New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the Democratic Party Primary this year.   More from Salon.com....LINK

Tonight US time Thursday morning China time a sharp increase in the number of coronavirus (Covid-19) cases reported by the Chinese authorities.

This is attributed to a broadening of the definition of the virus.   242 more deaths and 14,840 more cases reported in Hubei province where the virus originated.

1,350 now dead nationwide in China with almost 60,000 cases.    More details from the BBC....LINK

In Chicago a special prosecutor has filed six charges of disorderly conduct against actor-singer Jussie Smolett.    Smolett already facing charges of lying to police about an alleged racist and homophobic attack in January of 2019.

Last year local charges against Smolett dropped suddenly in March after an emergency court hearing.  That move denounced by then Mayor Rahm Emmanuel and Chicago Police.

ITALY'S SENATE VOTING IN FAVOR OF A TRIAL FOR FORMER INTERIOR MINISTER AND NOW OPPOSITION LEADER MATTEO SALVINI.  SALVINI TO FACE CHARGES FOR KEEPING MIGRANTS ON A BOAT AT SEA RATHER THAN ALLOWING THEM TO LAND IN ITALY.

The Venezuelan regime of Nicolas Maduro staging protests at the airport in Caracas to harass Interim President Juan Guaido returned from a world tour that included a visit to the White House, an appearance at the State of the Union speech and a trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Guaido was jostled his shirt being pulled in the process with the pro-Maduro protesters shouting "Fascist" at him......BBC NEWS STORY

At the Vatican Pope Francis ruling against ordination of married men to serve as priests in the Amazon region of South America.    A synod of bishops of the Roman Catholic Church had recommended married priests last year as a means of addressing a shortage of clergy in the Amazon.

The British media regulator OFCOM is to be given powers to regulate social media in the UK   The legislation being drafted is said to deal with "potentially harmful content"....'THE INDEPENDENT' NEWS STORY

That's the way it really is Wednesday February 12th, 2020.